Despite feeling that women are unsuited to journalism,
Fleet Street newspaper editor Frank McSweeney hires Stella Mason as a reporter at the
Daily National. Stella starts a hugely popular gossip column, gaining the nickname 'Paper Orchid'. When her husband dies, Lady Croup becomes the new proprietor of the
Daily National. She fires Frank and another journalist, 'Johnny' Johnson – both of whom join rival newspaper the
World Record. After offending Lady Croup, Stella also loses her job. When Stella's tenant is murdered, circumstantial evidence builds up against her. She takes the story to Frank, hoping that the
World Record will give her a job in return for the
scoop. When he tries to force her to publish it under her own by-line she takes it to the
Daily National, where its crime reporter Freddy Evans is asked to investigate it. It emerges that Freddy actually committed the murder. He files his final newspaper report: a confession. After declaring his love for Stella, he kills himself at
Charing Cross Station. In the epilogue, Frank decides to publish Freddy's last story – pausing momentarily when he hears of his tormented colleague's death. ==Cast==